Host Tower of the Arcane
| size = | ruler1 = | ruleryear1 = | ruler2 = | ruleryear2 = | ruler3 = | ruleryear3 = | ruler4 = | ruleryear4 = | ruler5 = | ruleryear5 = | rulertype = | government = | languages = | races = Humans, undead | religion = | currency = | reckoning = DR | population1 = | popyear1 = | population2 = | popyear2 = | population3 = | popyear3 = | imports = | exports = | alignment = | allegiance = | usethe = yes | useon = | inhabitants = yes | locations = | organizations = yes | settlements = }} The Host Tower of the Arcane'''The alternate spelling '''Hosttower of the Arcane was used in the following sources: *Neverwinter Campaign Setting on pages 10, 12, 13, and 146 *The Forgotten Realms Atlas on pages 77 and 78 *Hall of Heroes on page 68, 69 *The Savage Frontier (sourcebook) on page 8 *''Streams of Silver'' by R.A. Salvatore *''The Pirate King'' by R.A. Salvatore was both an academy of magical training for the Arcane Brotherhood and a political and economic power in the city of Luskan. Description The tower resembled a tree with four "limbs" (spires). The building radiated an aura of magic that many residents found so uncomfortable that they purposely avoided looking at the building. It was said that each apprentice received his or her own alchemical laboratory and meditation chamber. History The first known account of the Host Tower's existence comes from a Northlander oral tradition recorded in 1237 DR by a loremaster of Waterdeep. Erected by the netherese arcanist Melathlar in to protect Illusk from phaerimm attack, the effort cost Melathlar his life. Twenty years later, another arcanist, named Maerin, was involved in creating a magical siphoning system that took seawater from the Sea of Swords and transported it via roots 'grown' from the Tower to the burgeoning underground settlement of Gauntlgrym, where elemental magic fuelled by the water kept the primordial Maegera under control. In 95 DR, the Tower became home to all of Illusk's wizards as it was a refuge from Uthgar Gardolfsson's attacks, however they were driven out instead by an upstart from within Illusk itself. With wizards banned from the city, nobody noticed that the Tower was still occupied by the former wizard rulers of Illusk, the Grand Cabal, but they quietly weathered no less than three orc hordes, who failed to enter or damage the Tower. It was not until 806 DR, while resettling the ruins, that Laeral Silverhand entered the tower and encountered the Cabal, now all liches. She sealed the ancient spellcasters within the tower for half a millenium until the arrival of Arklem Greeth, who managed to bypass Laeral's magic and free the remaining members of the Cabal, who helped him set up the Arcane Brotherhood. The Brotherhood became the true rulers of the city, now known as Luskan, and based some of their organization's power structure on the architecture of the Tower. However Greeth, having become a lich himself, felt the need, in 1376 DR to break his staff of the magi. The resulting explosion nearly levelled the Tower and killed most of its inhabitants. By 1479 DR, the Tower was a strange ruin haunted by undead and the locals would not go near it. In 1487 DR, an effort is mounted to reconstruct the Host Tower by Catti-brie, Gromph Baenre, Lady Avelyere, and others via the primordial Maegera, and the root system connecting to Gauntlgrym. The dwarves of Gauntlgrym marshal numerous raw materials, including the recovered original stone of the Host Tower, and the primordial "grows" the structure at the behest of Cattie-brie. Appendix Gallery Host Tower-0.jpg Host tower-0.jpg|Fan art of the Host Tower of the Arcane by Rubens Mateus. Appearances ;Novels * Streams of Silver * The Pirate King ;Video games * Gateway to the Savage Frontier Notes References Category:Towers Category:Locations Category:Locations in Luskan Category:Locations on the Sword Coast North Category:Locations in Northwest Faerûn Category:Locations in Faerûn Category:Locations on Toril